Mountain pass cycling milestones are signposts that provide

cyclists Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for pur ...

with information about their current position with regard to the summit of the

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

. They always provide information for cyclists going uphill. Sometimes the signs are two-sided, thereby providing information also for cyclists going downhill. Mountain pass cycling milestones are particularly useful to cyclists that are not familiar with the climbs. In general, they allow cyclists to schedule breaks as well as to plan food and liquid uptake. They furthermore can serve as motivational landmarks. Local institutions invest in this

cycling infrastructure Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

to offer service to cyclists, thus promoting tourism in their region.

Type of information

Mountain pass cycling milestones always carry a

pictogram A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a wri ...

of a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

and specify the following standard information * name of mountain pass *

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

* distance to summit * average slope in the following section of the pass Additional information found in some cases includes * name and/or emblem of local institutions * number of the road * altitude of the summit * distances to villages or town close to summit * distance travelled from the start of the mountain pass Typically, the signposts are placed every kilometer such that the slope corresponds to the average across the next kilometer.

France

Mountain pass cycling milestones have become common in many major mountain passes in the French

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. Often their design is chosen to resemble the main features of conventional French milestones, which is a white bottom and a yellow top.

Mountain passes that are known to have cycling milestones

The following table lists mountain passes signposted with cycling milestones, ordered by the height of the summit. ''If a mountain pass is not included in the table below, that does not imply that it has no cycling milestones. It can likewise mean that is not yet documented in this table.'' All signs display the standard information (see above). The table specifies the precision of the slope. Additional information and emblems (if any) are explained in the column with remarks. 2015 Peyresourde last two kilometers from Armenteule.jpg, View on the last two kilometers of the

Col de Peyresourde The Col de Peyresourde () (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees on the border of the department of Haute-Garonne and Hautes-Pyrénées in France. It is situated on the D618 road between Bagnères-de-Luchon and Arreau. Details ...

in the climb from Armenteule. On the left side of the road a mountain pass cycling milestone can be seen.

References

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External links

* Rennrad, Pässe, Alpen, Pyrenäen, Touren, Schwarzwald, ... - quäldich.de - das Portal für Rennradfahrer. (In German)

* Climbbybike.com - all cycling cols, tours and cyclo's to climb by bike worldwid

Cycling infrastructure Traffic signs Mountain passes